Game and game apparatus



Dec. 29, 1925- 1,567,765 c. s. SPAULDING GAME AND GAME APPARATUS Filed March 17 1925 Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

' UNITED STATES CHARLES S. SPAULDING, OI NEWIBURYPOBT, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME AND GAME arrnnarus.

Application filed larch 17, 1925. SeriarNo. 16,094. 7

To aZZ wh om it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. SrAUL- DING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newburyport, 1n the county of Essex 5 and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games and Game Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to games and game apparatus, and more particularly to games in simulation of the game of golf and following in a limited way its rules and general manner of play.

The object of the present invention is to 7 provide 'a simple and inexpensive game which has the general pla ing characteristics of the game of golf an which will alike bring a realization of the fascinating niceties of golf within the means of the cottage dweller in the confines of his limited surroundings and provide a delightful pastime on the more extensive grounds of the country estate.

According to the present invention the game is played on a course which may be of either limited or extensive proportions, as dictated by convenience or necessity, after the general fashion of golf, by driving a ball through a series of stations analogous to holes in golf, at each of which certain conditions are to be fulfilled as demanded by the particular rules which the players may desire to formulate. The game lends itself well to a playing surface of any size and condition, and instead of causing disfiguration of the grounds, as is usual in many-type of games of this nature, it rather stimulates, because of its likeness to golf in many respects, an interest to maintain them in proper condition in order that accuracy of play may not be sacrificed by irregularities in the playing surface, which are as annoying in this game as they are upon the putting green in'actual golf. In the present invention the various stations, while they may be in the form of holes as in golf, are preferably of wicket formation, each of which is surmounted by a substantially tangential loop, thus presenting a rectangular opening directly above the playing surface through which the ball may be rolled and also affording at a distance above the ground a circular opening through which the ball may be directed by a skillful manipulation of the club which,-as will presently be described, is constructed to permit accomplishment of this end. The game thus rovides for a wide variety in modes'of p ay, the driving through the rectangular openings of the wickets not proving too onerous for the beginner, while the lofting through the circular opening presents a difiiculty which will tax the skill and maintain the interest of the most seasoned and experienced player.

The game also provides inexpensive and wholesome recreation for the younger members of the household and, while serving to introduce them to the play of golf, inc1-.

dentally provides sufiicient interest to remove from them the destructive temptation of attempting the use of their elders more expensive golf clubs with which they are not sufliciently familiar. The game'is also not without its educational interest, because in the driving of the ball through the circular loop there is required not only a skillful coordinationof the movements of all parts of the body, but also an appreciation of the angle of elevation and the trajectory of the projectile, continued practice in which must necessarily be of invaluable experience to the novice and the veteral player alike.

The game of the present invention, because of the peculiar construction of the apparatus, permits a remarkable flexibility in'the rules of approaching and passing the stations. as well as in the conditions which may attach to any hazards desirably placed on the course, so that it may severely test the skill of the most expert player, while at the same time providing extreme simplicity for the novice, who may graduate through successive stages of increasing difliculty into a proficiency ordinarily attained only after arduous and expensive tuition at the more exacting game of golf. In short, the present invention not only affords diverting recreation for the most seasoned and experienced golfer, but also promotes'an interest in the game among those who, because of inability to play golf either through physical limitations or lack of means, delight none the less in its engaging intricacies of play and the intellectual and conversational attainments which it engenders, and which, but for the present invention, they might be obliged to forego.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the' preferred form of the invention, Fig. l is a diagram of a suitable course on grounds associated with a. small cottage dwelling; Fig. 2 is a front elevation ofone of the stations; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the projectile, or ball, used in the play; Fig. lis a side elevation of the club or mallet; and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the club shown in ,Fig. 4.

The course illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises nine statiOns, the last of which is in the form of a hole, and the first eight of. the wicket type shown-in Fig. 2, each comprising a single piece of wire bent to form a rectangular part (5 and a surmounting substantially tangential circular part 8, the ends of the wire being received in suitable wooden pegs 10 llush with the surface of the ground. Although the course ma be laid out on grounds of any size, in the i lustrated diagram successive stations are placed apart a distance averaging about feet, suitable for the grounds appurtenant to a dwelling of moderate size. In the playing of the game, which will presently be described more in detail, a ball is driven by means of a club, after the fashion of golf, from a suitable initial tee through the several stations, finally terminating at the ninth hole, according to the rules and conditions which v may have been previously formulated. The

stations are suitably numbered, the last by a metallic device in the form of the numeral 9 suspended over the hole from an inverted L-shaped wire driven in the ground, and the remainder by suitable indicia, each suspended by a link 12 received in a depression 14 in the top of the wicket, as shown in Fig. 2. In playing the ball through the circular openings, it may be desirable to suspend the indicia from the lower parts 16 of the loops, but they may be left in the position of Fig. 2 if desired in order that the passage of the ball through the loop may give a visible indication by oscillation of the numeral.

The projectile used in playing the game is preferably in the form of a ball 18, ap

proximately two inches in diameter, as

shown in Fig. 3, to facilitate rolling, but on small courses, especially in crowded communities, it may be desirable to employ a projectile of ellipsoidal, polyhedral or irregular shape to suppress the rolling action and prevent passage of-the projectile beyond the boundaries of the course. The club used for driving the ball, which is illustrated in Fig. 4, is of a weight and balance comparable to the usual golf club and is conveniently provided with a colored band or stripe corresponding with the color of the ball. The head of the club is in the general form of a truncated prolate spheroid having at one end a vertical plane surface 22 and at the opposite end two sloping surfaces 24 -and 26 which meet in a small transverse vertical surface 28 in the. medial plane of the head and diverge therefrom at different angles of inclination from the vertical. The face .22 is for imparting combined translatory and rotative motion to the ball, commonly known as a rolling motion, over the surface of the ground, while the inclined surfaces 24 and 26 are adapted, upon striking the ball below itseenter of gravity, to impart an initial angle of elevation to the ball and cause it to describe a parabolic trajectory, the characteristics of which are determined by the particular face with which the ball is caused to impact. That is to say, in the position of Fig. 4, owing to the great inclination of the surface 24 from the vertical, the ball will be given a con siderable elevation, while if the club head is inverted in a manner presently to be described, the surface 26 will impinge on the ball and impart a lesser degree of elevation thereto. The handle 30 of the club is received in the club head at an angle which may conveniently be termed the angle of stance for the average player. The club head is provided in. its central transverse plane with a pair of intersecting diametrically disposed ambidextrously receptive recesses for the handle, arranged at equal angle from the vertical and terminating in threaded openings 32, 34, and 36, 38 adapted for selective engagement with the handle, the two former permitting dextral manipulation of the club to present the face 24 or the face 26 to the ball, depending on whether the handle is in the full line position of Fig. 5, or diametrically opposed thereto, while the openings 36 and 38 permit sinistral manipulation of the club in the same manner by receiving the handle in the-position shown in the dash line position of this figure, or in a diametrically opposed position.

In playing the game, the ball is placed upon the initial tee and by a series of approaches and putts is passed through station 1, either the rectangular or the upper circular part of the Wicket, as the rules may Y require. Thus for inexperienced players it may be provided that it is necessary only to pass the ball through the rectangular part of the wicket either in the direction of the approach, or opposite thereto, while for more expert players it may be required to elevate the ball through the upper loop of I the wicket. After passing the first Station,

the ball is either p ayed from its position of' v final repose or placed on atemporary tee and driven in the same manner toward the second station, and so on around the course until the ball is finally dropped in th hole at the ninth station, the player making the least number of strokes being considered the winner. In addition to the obstacles afflames forded by the dwelling and. its appurtenant buildings, it may be desirable to provide hazards, illustrated in Fig. 1 as a ravel or cement path 40 connecting the dwel ing with the garage, and two beds of flowers, or shrubbery, indicated at 42 and 44 which ntersect several of the lines of play. The introduction of these hazards in no way impairs the flexibility of the rules, since they may permit the novice to circumvent a particular hazard rather than to accept-the" challenge of direct attack which it offers to the more experienced player. It is desirable that the hazards, in so far as they consist of shrubbcry or foliage, be of hardy and thickly growing type, not only to afford protection against the continued onslaughts of inex .rienced players, but also toprovide the addfd element, so necessary to unmitigated enjoyment of the game of golf, of requiring searches to be made at intervals for the elusive ball. Furthermore, on larger courses it may be desirable to provide water hazards, either naturally, as where the topography of the course provides, or designedl by the construction of artificial ponds, poo s or similar waterways. \Vhile in the preferred form. of the invention the ball is of a weight so that it may float to permit ready recovery thereof, it is nevertheless within the purview of the invention to construct it of greater specific gravity than the water, in order to please those more temerarious spirits who desire an admixture of aquatic sports with the less arduous game as played upon the course.

Although the present invention has been described a adapted for play upon an outdoor course of either moderate or extensive dimensions, the invention is not to be considered as so limited, but, where the limitation of space or the inclemency of the weather requires, may be employed upon a smaller scale indoors, as in the area provided in the cellar of a dwelling house, if it be of suflicient size, in which case interest in the game may be attracted by such hazards as a playing space of this nature ordinarily affords.

Having described the invention,-what is claimed is:

1. A game comprising a series of stations adapted to be placed about a playing surface, each station consisting of a wicket having a lower opening directly above the playing surface and an upper opening at a distance above the playlng surface, a. projectile, and a club for driving the projectile through the several stations having provision for rolling theprojectile through the lower opening or for imparting an initial elevation to the projectile to direct it through the upper opening of any of the wickets.

2. A game comprising aseries of stations adapted to be placed around a playing surface, each station consisting of a wicket havinga rectangular lower portion and a surmounting substantiallytangential circular portion, a ball, an initial tee, a final station comprising a hole into which the ball is to be received, and a' club for driving the ball from the tee successively through the several stations and into the'hole at the final station. I

3. A game comprising a series of stations adapted to be placed around a playing surface, each station consisting of-a wicket having a rectangular lower portion and a surmounting substantially tangential circular portion, a ball, an initial tee, a final station comprising a hole into which the ball is to be received, and a club for driving the, ball from the tee successively through the several stations and into the hole at the final station, the club having provision for rolling the ball over the playing surface or imparting an initial angle of elevation to the ball to cause it to describe a parabolic trajectory.

4. A ame comprising a series of stations adapte to be placed around a playing surface, each station consisting of a wicket having a lower rectangular opening directly above the playing surface and an upper; circular opening at a distance above the playin surface, a ball, hazards, and a club for driving the ball and having an impact surface for rolling the ball and two inclined impact surfaces for imparting different initial degrees of elevation to the ball.

5. A game apparatus comprising a club having a handle, and a club head having two intersecting diverging impact surfaces at different de 'rees of inclination and provided with a dlametrical recess for selective reception of the handle at opposite ends of the recess to permit manipulation of the club for imparting different degrees of elevation to a projectile.

6. A game apparatus comprising a club having a handle, and a club head having two diverging impact surfaces at different degrees of inclination and provided with a diametrical recess arranged at an angle from the vertical for selective reception of the handle at opposite ends of the recess to permit manipulation of the club for impalriting different degrees of elevation to a 7. A game apparatus comprising a club having a handle, and a club having two diverging im act surfaces at different degrees of inc ination and provided in its central transverse plane with a pair of intersecting diametrically disposed ambidextrously receptive openings for the handle arranged at different angles from the vertical and adapted to permit either dextral or sinistral manipulation of the club to present either impact surface'to the ball and permit the latter to be raised through difi'ercut initial angles of elevation. v

8. A game aparatus comprising a club having a handle, and a club head in the form of a truncated prolate spheriod with a vertical surface at one end and two intersecting diverging surfaces at different degrees of inclination at the other end and providediwith a pair of intersecting diametrically disposed ambidextrously receptive recesses for the'handle at equal angles from the vertical to permit selective reception of the handle for either dextral or sinistral manipulation of'the club and presentation of either of the diverging impact surfaces to a hall.

9. A game apparatus comprising a wicket adapted to be placed above a playing surface and presenting a substantially rectangular opening directly above the playing surface, and a surmounting substantially tangential opening at a distance above the playing surface, the former to permit rolling of a hall and the latter to permit elevation of a ball along a parabolic trajectory therethrough.

10. A game apparatus comprising a wicket formed of a single piece of wire and having a rectangular lower portion and a surmounting substantially tangential circular upper portion, the upper portion having a depression therein, a numeral and means for suspending the numeral from the depression in the upper portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' CHARLES S.v SPAULDING. 

